Refrigerating apparatus



May 30, 1933. F. L. CHASE El AL REFRIGERATING APPARATUS 2 sheets-sheet 1 Filed May 29, 1931 ATTORNEY May 30, 1933. H E EAL 1,912,066

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed May 29, 1951 2 SheetS -Sheet 2 w M' Um? J v Wmmm INVENTOR M v(22w a M M 4 Z 2 ATTORNEY Fatented May 30, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FBEDERIC L. CHASE AND STANLEY V. COOK, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO FBIGIDAIRE CORPORATION, OF DAYTON, 01310, A. CORPORATION OF DELAWARE REFBIGERATING APPARATUS Application filed May 29, 1931. Serial No. 541,024.

This invention relates to refrigerating apparatus and particularly to containers for freezing blocks or cubes of ice.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an improved flexible freezing container of the type having self-supporting properties and which will permit the ready removal of individual cubes of ice or many cubes of ice at one time, and which is also arranged so that the expansion of said cubes during the freezing thereof is slight and uniform.

In ice-making containers formed of flexible insulating material such as moulded rubber it has been found that the freezing of ice is accomplished primarily by circulating air currents within the freezing chamber which houses the container. Thus the ice cube forming chambers of the freezing container which are more closely located to the refrigerating medium and the iceforming chambers which are arranged in contact with a greater amount of circulating air than other ice-forming chambers are the first to have ice frozen therein.

It has also been found in flexible containers having integral grid members that it is desirable to provide openings or notches in some of the partitions of the grid members to arrange the container so that it may be readily flexed for releasing the ice cubes and to provide for filling each of the iceforming chambers with substantially the same amount of water to be frozen.

In containers of this type it has been found that if slots or openings have been placed between ice-making chambers and one of the chambers is so arranged that it freezes ice before another or other chambers, some of the water in the first chamber will be forced into the second chamber due to the expansion of ice in the first chamber. This provides the second chamber with too much water and during the process of freezing the ice will expand at times to a height considerably above the top of the container. This excessive expansion or peaking not only results in freezing cubes in different sizes and shapes but has been found at times to prevent ready removal of the container from its freezing chamber due to the ice peaking to such extent as to cause the ice cube to freeze fast to the top of the freezing chamber.

Our invention is concerned with providing a flexible container which permits the ready removal of the individual cubes of ice or as many cubes of ice as desired, and in which the peaking of the ice cubes is slight and uniform.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fi 1 is a top plan view of an elevation of an improved reezing container and shows a portion thereof broken away;

Fig. 2 is a view in cross-section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view in cross-section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. t is a view partly in elevation and partly in cross-section showing one manner in which ice cubes may be released from our improved ice cube container and showing a pair of said containers in a cooling element; and

Fig. 5 is a slightly modified form of icemaking container embodying features of our invention.

Referring to the drawings, 20 designates a container or tray constructed in accordance with our invention. The container is adapted to contain a substance, such as water, to be frozen. As shown in Fig. 4, a pair of containers 20 are supported on supporting shelves 24 of freezing chambers 25. These freezing chambers are secured, preferably, by solder to depending ducts 27 of a cooling unit designated in general by numeral 30.

The container is constructed of flexible material, preferably of moulded rubber and is provided with an integrally moulded flexible grid member 32 and an integrally moulded handle portion 34. The container is also provided with flexible end walls 35, flexible side walls 36 and a flexible bottom portion 37. In order to provide the container with self-supporting properties there is provided a metal wire member 40 which extends around the top edge of the container and through the handle portion as shown at 42. This wire member is moulded in the rubber. A wire member is dis osed between the handle portion and the out portion of the container for increasing the rigidity of the upper part of the container. This wire member is preferably welded at its ends to the outer wire member and is moulded in the rubber. An integral moulded tray front 47 is provided which serves to close the front of the freezing chamber 25 when the tray is placed in position for freezing the water therein.

The grid member 32 comprises longitudinal partitions 50 and transverse partitions 52, which partitions serve to divide the container into a plurality of ice cube-forming chambers and 56. In order to arrange the container so that it may be readily flexed there is provided a plurality of openings or notches in the partitions 50 and 52 adjacent the points of attachment to the side walls of the container. These notches also serve to establish communication between the ice cube-forming chambers 55 adjacent the side walls of the container. It will thus be noted that the container is separated into an outer freezing zone which consists of.

chambers 55 arranged in communicating relationship around the outside of the container and adjacent the side walls thereof, and an inner freezing zone 67 which consists of chambers 56 between separators 50 and'the two outside transverse separators 52. When it is desired to fill the container with water all that is necessary is to hold the handle portion while the water is running in the container and due to the slots 60 an the flexible bottom 37 the weight of the water will cause the central portion of the container to drop downward sufliciently to allow the water to run over the top of the partitions to thus provide each of the ice forming chambers with substantially the same amount of water, the chambers around the outer edges of the tray receiving the same amount of water since they are arranged in communicating relationship. Thus it will be noted that the slots 60 not only provide for filling each of the chambers 55 infreezing zone 65 to the same height but said slots permit the central portion of the tray to bow downwardly when water is placed in the tray so that all of the chambers receive an equal amount of water.

When the tray is filled with the proper amount of water it is placed in the freezing chamber 25 to freeze the water therein. When the cubes of ice are in a frozen condition they may be readily removed either 'come frozen into the form of ice.

individually or many at one time. 'A preferred manner of removing the cubes is to partially move the'tray from its freezing chamber and then move the handle portion downwardly to release the cubes from the side walls of the tray as shown in Fig. 4.

The downward movement of the handle causes not only the ice cubes to be freed from the side walls of the tray but causes the side walls of the tray to move downwardly and the grid member and ice cubes to remain in position so that the cubes may be readily taken hold of so that one or more may be readily taken from the container. If desired, the container and the ice formed therein may be removed from the freezing chamber and all the cubes removedat one time by simply applying pressure to the bottom portion of the tray: Due to the slotted portions of the grid member the entire bottom portion of the tray may beflexed upwardly above the top of the tray. Thus, all the cubes of ice may be readily removed from the container. Since the container and its grid are made of rubber material the cubes will not readily adhere thereto, which thus permits the cubes to be easily removed therefrom.

As previously stated, it has been found that freezing of water in a container formed of insulating material such as rubber is primarily accomplished by means of circulating air. For this reason the ice cube-forming chambers which are located more closely to the refrigeratin medium, as in the present instance the rerigerant conveying ducts 27, will become frozen before the water in the ice cube-forming chambers in the central portion of the tray. It has also been found that the outer row of cubes or those cubes which are in contact with the side walls of the tray will become frozen before those in the central portion of the tray since the circulating air contacts with the side portions of the tray. It has been found that freezing cubes of ice in a container of the type herein described that the portion of water in the container is the last portion to be- Consequently, if the cubes of ice in the outer row surrounding the tray become frozen before the cubes in the central portion of the tray it is necessary to arrange the outer freezing zone 65- and the inner freezing zone 67 in non-communicating relationship. This prevents the outer row which freezes first from forcing water into the central freezing zone 67 of the tray from the outer freezing zone 65. If desired, the bottom portion of the container may be provided with a depending ridge 7 0 on the central portion of the bottom 37 of the container 20. When the tray is filled with water and placed on the supporting shelf 24 the ridge 70 tends to hold the grid member in the proper position to pre vent distortion of the separator members by the weight of the water in the container.

In Fig. 5 there is disclosed a slightly modified form of ice-making container 80. This container is constructed of flexible moulded rubber and is similar to container 20 but is provided with considerable more ice cube-forming chambers. Thus the container comprises an integral moulded flexible grid 90 and an integral moulded handle portion 91. The grid 90 comprises longitudinal separators 95 and transverse separators 97, which separators divide the container into a plurality of ice cube-forming chambers 100 and 102. The container 80 is provided with a plurality of notches 105 around the row of cubes extending around the outer edges of the container and herein termed the outer freezing zone 110. The

the same purposes as the notches are providediin container 20. The container 80 also includes an inner freezing zone 115 arranged in non-communicating relationship with the outer freezin zone 110 to thus prevent excessive pea ing in the inner freezing zone 115.

While form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a flexible freezing container having selfsustaining properties adapted to contain a substance to be frozen, said container having an integral member separating said container into inner and outer freezing zones, said member dividing said outer freezing zone into a plurality of ice cube-forming chambers, said member being provided with openings in the outer freezing zone for establishlng communication tween said chambers and for increasing the flexibility of said container, and said member being arranged to prevent communication between said inner and outer freezing zones.

2. A flexible container for making a plurality of ice blocks in refrigerators having an integralflexible grid member separating said container into a pluralit of freezing zones said grid member includlng partitions dividing one of said freezing zones into aplurality of ice block-forming chambers, said partitions being provided with openings for establishing communication between said ice block-forming chambers, and said grid member preventing communication between said freezing zones.

3. A flexible container for making a plurality of ice blocks in refrigerators having an integral flexible grid member separating the container into inner and outer'freezing zones, said member including partitions dividing said outer freezing zone into aplurality of ice block-forming compartments, said partitions being provided with openings extending from the top to substantially the bottom of said partitions in the outer signatures.

FREDERIC L. CHASE. STANLEY V. COOK.

notches 105 are provided in container for 

